Locking device



March 26, 1940. J. B. O'CONNOR LOCKING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1936 Quiz/0r fluerZZZ-E Jimwo gay; 9

March 26,1940. J. B. O'CONNOR 2,195,223

LOCKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. B. OCON NOR March 26, 1940,

' LOCKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 f/GJU.

lllllllll IIflllfl A J/ZHAEUZUIZ wI @P' 0 9 March 26, 1940. J. B. O'CONNOR LOCKING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed Dec. 12, 1936 Patented Mar. 2 6 3 Metal. Products,' lncorporated, Aurora, corporation of lllin'ois Ill., a

I This invention relates to a locking device and e more particularly to a device for locking or latching a locker rdoor; Y, p

I t One of the objects of this inventionis to pro,- I y'ide an improved construction whereina longig v tudinally movable bar is employed to release a v x I p v s v f i "'showing theelements in'the position taken dur- Another object of this invention is to provide a I 1 Figure ,14 isafragmentary plan sectional view I taken on the line 14; in Figure 12; ,'Figure11'5 is afragmentary plan sectional view .:taken on theline II, 5 in' Figure 13 latching mechanism.

. highly improved structure for automatic latching wherein a door may be latched bymerely moving to closed position or wherein the door may be locked before closingj whereupon-simply moving 130, (filo Seal;pQSitiOl'l.@VViH complete the locking :1 is tional bbiec't of-this invention to provide .op'pos'ed. latchinglmechanisms "which; due

to rtheir function in'cp po'sed directions, are in-, v herentlysafeagainstpickingwor tampering. Y

'It'is a further 'ohject'of this invention to provide opposed spring. latching' members, thefl; springs of which function in opposite directions to engage the'keeper from both sides so that p y: ing or forcing in one. direction.could not serve'to I v I I r -v line 2e+2uin,Figur 19; v e

vFigure 2 1. is a vertical section showing an 3417' 'ternative'preferr'ed; embodiment; and f disengage the latches,

A stilliurthr objectiis ssessa spring latching. mechanism which will automatically I center itself-with respect to the :Ikeeper.

It is furthermore an object of this invention tofprovide a. spring latch member which may be mounted either 'on the door, onf'a latching bar or;on thefframe and, by; the operationof thedoor projected into keeper engaging position.

Numerous other objects and advantages willbe apparent from a consideration of the following:- specificationand drawings which rdisclosea few j devices constructed fin-accordance with the prinfs .ciples of thelpresent invention and in which,

' Figure 1 is'a'perspectiveview of the improved I I l8 arefgenerally'IJ-shaped and are provided with s a flange?!) adapted to be'welded, or otherwise v secured, to the inne'r surface of the forward wall, 7 Figure '3 is asvertical sectional View taken on 9 3, a m r outermost for. wa'rdly extending portion 22 of the lugs forms a locker;

,..-Figure 2 is e 1 view of the locking mechanism;

, the line 3-4 of Figure 2;

7 pFigurel is aIperspectivedetail view of a lock ing mechanism Withportions of the door broken Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line,

I s -s of Figure 4;.

of Figure 5; j I

1 member shown in dissembled relationship;

a modified form of latching mechanism shown in Figure isya perspective .fragmentary view of latched position;

" Figure 22 is a plan sectional ;.The". l jocker' H! I embodiment orwthepurpos'e of disclosing the present invention, is of generally conventional construction having an opening defined in part by sideangle members 12 and I4.

an" inside fragmentary perspective I Figure 7 is a plan section 'takenon the line l--1 Figure 8 isa plan section'taken onthe'line 8-8 shown in Figure 10;

Figure-11 is a view or the sameme'ch'a'nism' as Figure 12 is a vertical detail section of the latching device shown in Figure 10, taken on the line 52, |2; s,

Figurel3 is a view similar to Figure 12,- but ing the entry of the keeper;

Figure "16 isa sectional View of; a 'r'nodifiied form 01f latching member;

Figure l'l is a perspective fragmentary view of I modified form of latching mechanism; portions of the doorbeing brokenawam' v Figure. 1815 aj'jvertic'al sectional viewtaken on' the line IE I 8 of Figure 1'7;

Figure 1 9 is .a vertical section taken on the 7 sameli'ne as 1Figure'17, but showing the elements I during the process of "unlatchingg Fig1 lre20 is a plan sectional View taken on the I vievvtak linegZZ -[ZZ i n Figure 21. r c' 'hich comprises an illustrative {The door '16 isl hinged to the "angle member l2 inthe conventional manner. 'The'angle member M, forming thej opposite jambfijsprovided with n on the.

lugs is which extend forwardly into the opening v loc'cupiedjbythe door in'closed position. The lugs or slot 24.

keeper portionland is provided with an aperture lugs is'providediwith astop 26, preferably of rub- -herior similar'resilientrnaterial, which is held-in I r L Y position by oppositely protruding portions 28- Flgure 6 1s a vertical sect n fiip 21 which register withcorresponding apertures in the si'de portionsofthe lugs, and serves to absorb 1 the impact of ClOSiIIQ'DI", slamming the door, as

well as deadening any accompanying sound.

-.The' 'door I5 is preferably made of sheetmetal which, along the/free edge thereof, is turned in wardly to fo'rm alongitudinally extending flange form theffiange 32 parallel thereto and thus prorides apartiallytubularenclosure at its margin.

In'this enclosure is fitted a channel member 34, the base portion of which occupies the open side of the enclosure formed at the edge of the door 1 and the sides of which bear against-the face oi the door and the rear parallel flange 32.

The channel member is secured in the position shown in Figures 7 and 8, for instance, order to complete the tubular enclosure formed 7 at the margin of the door, but is adapted for limited vertical movement by means of indentae tions in thefiange 32 registering with vertically extending slots in the channel member (not shown). Obviously any conventional means may,

be employed to constrain the channel member in position at the marginof the door and yet permit limited vertical movement. 7

The rearwarddoor flange 32 is. provided with an aperture 38 to permit free entry of the forwardly presented end of the keeper portion 22 and the rearward wall of thechannel member is provided with .an elongated aperture to form a vertically extending slot 38 .to permit freeentry of ,thekeeper at any longitudinal position of the channel member. A sectionis iurther'cut from the rearward wall of the channel member just above this groove asat .40 in order to provide for the mounting of I the spring pressed'latch' mechanism onrthe rear fla'nge32 of the door.

The latches are constructed from asingle piece; of spring metal andare for-med enerally into I achannel sectionhaving arear wal1'42,.as;illustrated in Figure Aland side walls. 44'. The rear wall is fastened securely aga nstthe flange 32 by means of a pairof machinescrews46 passing through the exteriorof theflange and threaded into the rear wall42. a

The forwardly extending Wall sections 44.are

relieved from the rearward wall .at a, point just below the fastening V means and extend down- 'wardly as two parallel fingers 48." Approximately.

intermediate '01 their length, each of these fingers is depressed toward the other to formthe latch portions v50 which areso proportioned. as to provide a pair of vertically extending edges on the forwardside of the fingers whichvwill abut each other in normal latching position when the fingers 48 are insgenerally parallel position.

The depressed portions extend. rearwardly with decreasing depth to form inner sloping surfacesfil; as shown inFig. 7. The .lower end of the fingers is provided with a secondpairof da pressedportions 52in which the depressions are of substantially the same depth as those form;-. ing thelatch portion 50 and whichextend in uniform depth across the fingers and .maintain the bottom of the fingers in the same general s aced r ion' ip.

The depressions 52 are formedat the bottom thereof with oppositely ex tending fingers 53 which are so bent for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. a

' ures 6 and 8,;for instance, the latches will .fall

into the keeperopening 24 provided therefor;

The mechanismffor releasing the latch is ,attached to the channel inemberand operatesupon vertical longitudinal movement of said member.

It comprises a pointed cam surface 54 .in the shape of a wedge which is a struck-out portion of abridge member having rails 56 parallel to the face of the door l6 and being spaced therefrom,

. spring fingers 48.

upon they'will spring into by inwardly bent legs 58 terminating in 'fianges 60. A series of rivets BZIsecure these, flanges rigidlyto the forward side of the channel member 34. This structure serves tosupportthe struckout wedge member 54 in a position below the indented portions '52 atthelower end of the It will thus be apparent that longitudinally upward movement of- ,the channel member with- 1 in;the .door flanges will produce corresponding =movement of the wedge-shaped member 54 be- ,tween the lower; ends of the fingers, thus causing them to be sprung apart as'in Figure 5 and retracting the 'latch portions reversely from the aperture in the. keeper.

Control of the channel member inits longitudinal movement is effected by means of a control handle 64 which is provided with in- Wardly extending f ngersfili and a downwardly extending locking finger. The fingersv 6G .exe tendthrough two slots 10 in 'the face'of the door provided to readily accommodate the lingers in all positions of the limitedflongitudinal move ment' of the channel:member. I .Anangle member-12,. as shown in 'Fig. 2, is

secured rigidly to the channel .member 34 by bending over the extended side .14 and forming a flange 16 at either end thereof which are spotwelded tothebackffa'ce of the channel member. It evident, therefore;that.theangle member 12 forms "a box-like, enclosure withithe door and the*"channel member which serves to cover the slots It and prevent access .to the interior, by

v insertingany instrument through these openings.

The inwardly extending fingers .56 on the control handle Mare rigidlylconnected to the angle member 12 by machine screwsg'lB which pass through the 'latter and are threaded securely into the fingers. The door handle flll is secured tothe door as bya .machinesCreWand nut}! [passing through a lower flange thereof and at the top by a. turnedover tab 84 inserted into.

asuitable'slot inthejdoor; The handle is also providedwitha slot 86 at the lower portion thereof to permitpassage therethrough of the locking finger 68 on the control handle 64 which is centrallyvdisposed of the door handle 80.

Thus, by merely passing a padlock or other locking member through an aperture 81' in the finger 58, the mechanism will be effectively maintained in lockedposition. Rubber stops 88 are also fixedat the upper and lower corners of the handle to absorb the impact of lifting or loweringthe control handle liv l." t

In operation, the control handle 64 and the channel member, together) with its attached mechanismnwill normally be maintained in a lowermost position I by gravity; whereupon the latches are-free to operate." Thus, as the door 4 is closed, the latching surfaces 50 willbe sprung outwardly by the keeper, fas'shown in Figure Z,

until they register with the aperture 24 wherelatching position and the door will be locked. t V

This operation may'be carried out even though a padlock or. other similar mechanism is first .passed through the aperture 81 and the mechanism thus. placed in locked condition. .When it "is desired to permit thedoors to open, thelocking device must be removed from the aperture 31 Then, by merely lifting the controlhandle,

64 relative to the handle 80, the fingers 66 are caused to movev upwardly carrying with them.

the angle member 12 and the channel member 34 fixed rigidly thereto. i

Thus, the wedge-shaped member or cam 54 is caused-to be directed between oppositely disposed fingers 53 and between the 'depressd portions 52 sure is relieved. Thus the device is particularly adapted to resist unauthorized tampering.

An alternative structure is disclosed in Figures 10 to 15, wherein the latch mechanism is constructed in channel-shaped form- 42 and having side walls 44, but not secured to the door flange; on the otherhand, it is secured to the rearward wall of the channel member 34 by rivets 9B. The

- side walls of the channel portion 42 extend downwardly, inwardly relieved from the rear wall of the channel to form fingers'or springs 92, which terminate in enlarged portions 34 having inwardly and oppositely disposed latches 96.

It will be evident that the latch portions 95 I are disposed one above the other so that, under the inward force of thesprings 92, they are forced inwardly in overlapping engagement. The rearward side of thechannel portion is separately'extended downwardly at 98 and'terminates in a forwardly extending fiange I99 which serves as a stop for the springs 92 and maintains proper position of the latch fingers 36 when operative to engage the keeper.

The keeper member is here provided with a slot I02 and the finger'members with relatively sloping surfaces I03 so that entry of the keeper 1 into the apertures provided in the channel memgether, as shown in Figure 15.

In operation of this device, it is not necessary her and rear flange of the door will cause contact of its forward edge with the sloping surfaces I03, spreading the fingers apart until they register with the slot I02 whereupon they spring toto provide a latch releasing mechanism upon the channel member since, in view of the fact that the latch mechanism is rigidly mounted thereon, the lifting of the control handle 64 and consequently the channel member 34 will bodily lift the latches and their associated mechanism from registration with the slot I02, thus freeing the keeper from the latches.

A further alternative structure is disclosed in Figure 16 in which the springs I04 supporting the latches extend upwardly and then downwardly at H36 in a continuous strip of spring metal. The loop I38 formed thereby. surrounds a pin III] which is positioned between the opposite Walls of the channel member 34. Thus, the springs and latches are pivoted upon the pin III] for arcuate motion thereon limited by the confines of the tubular housing.

It will thus be apparent that the forward edge of the keeper in cooperation with the rearward cam surfaces I 93 of the latches will automatically serve to center the latches on the keeper, that is, if one latch surfacelll3 engages first, the latch mechanismwill rotate on its pivot a sufficient distance to cause the other surface I03 to come in contact therewith.

A further alternative embodiment is disclosed in Figures 17 to 20 and comprehends the combination of the spring-pressedlatch boltmounted upon the door jamb. In this form of structure, the'lug I8 is turned over to form a flange H2 at its forward edge- A second L-shaped member having a forwardly extending wall H4 is positioned, as disclosed in Figure 20, by means of a welded pin II6 to form a box-like enclosure having a top wall I I8. The

latch bolt I20 having a latching portionI22 is provided with a central slot I24 engaging the pin -I IE5 so that limited vertical reciprocation of the latch bolt is permitted. A U-shaped spring I26 normally urges the latch bolt into its lowermost position. I v

The channel-member and rear flange of the door are provided with the usual apertures or cut-away portions 36 and 38. The lower edge of the cut-away portion in the channel wall is provided with a bent-over shoulder I28. As the door is moved into closed position, the lug I8 will present the latching device through the opening 36 whereupon the forwardly inclined edge of the latch will ride up over thelower portion of the opening 36 and, upon reaching closed position,

ure 19. Thus, the door maybe readily opened against the sliding friction of the lower end of the latch bolt I22 upon the shoulder I28.

The embodiment shown in Figures 21 and 22 comprises a relativelythin sheet metal channel -member I30 havingits outer ends formed inwardly to provide curved latchingsurfaces I32 in the inwardly and longitudinally extending flanges I34. This latching member may be secured by rivets or the like, to the latch control channel member 34.

Thus in. operation, the curved latching surfaces I32 will normally engage the aperture 24 in thekeeper and effectively latch the door by presentation of their butt end surfaces to the outer wall of the aperture. Releaseof the latch is accomplished by raising the latch release channel whereupon the latching surfaces will be raised out of the aperture, the latches being spread apart as their upper curved surfaces contact the upper wall of the aperture 24. A slotted keeper maybe employed 'with equal facility.

In all of the structures provided, the latching mechanism is carefully protected against tampering or picking of the lock by full enclosure of the parts or by oppositely disposed resilient members, only one of which may be released at a time by any instrument inserted into the channel 34. I

It is thought that the invention and numerous of its attendant advantages will be understood from the-foregoing description and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, orsacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the forms hereindescribed being preferred embodiments forthe purpose of illustrating the invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A latching device for a locker having an opening and a door for said opening, comprising latches oppositely disposed and mounted for re silient action toward each other on said door and adapted/normally to engage a keeper in closed position, and a .bar mounted on the door and operatively connected with. the door control handle for movement to oppositely retract the said latches from the keeper. 7

2. A latching device for a locker having an opening and a door for said opening, comprising,

springpressed, opposed latches mounted on said door and adapted normally to engage a keeper, extending forwardly into said opening, from opposite sides, a vertically movable release bar adjacent the margin of the door, and means on said bar to retract the latches in opposite directions from the keeper when the bar is moved vertically.

3. A latching device for a locker having an opening and a door, for said opening, comprising resilient, opposed latch means mounted on said door and adapted normally to engage a keeper, extending forwardly into said opening from opposite sides, said latch means being elongated and extending longitudinally of said door margin, a release bar movable longitudinally of said door margin, and a cam mounted on said bar and adapted to spread said latches oppositely whereby to release the keeper from engagement thereby.

i. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening therein, a door swingable to close the opening and a keeper extending into said opening, said latch comprising a pair of parallel. elongated members resiliently separable, latching means on said elongated members for engaging the keeper therebetween, and a control bar on the door and shiftable relatively to said elongated members, said shiftable member being operable from a door handle and having associated therewith a member adapted to separate said elongated member resiliently apart to permit disengagement from the keeper when the bar is shifted.

5. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening thereirna door swingable to close the opening and a keeper extending into said opening, said latch comprising a pair of parallel elongated members resiliently separable and ar-. ranged longitudinally adjacent the margin of the door, latches on said elongated members for engaging the keeper therebetween, and control means adjacent the margin of the door and shiitable longitudinally of said margin and relative to said elongated members, said control means being operable from a door control handle and comprising means for resiliently separating said elongated members for retracting the latches from the keeper. I

6. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening therein, a door swingable to close the opening and a keeper extending into said opening, said latch comprising a pair of parallel elongated members resiliently separable, latching means on said elongated members for enmovement relative to said elongated members,

members being permanently associated with the door, whereby said latching means reside adjacent said keeperaperture When'the door is in closed position. l I

'7. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening therein, a door swingable to close the opening and an apertured keeper extending into said opening, said latch mechanism comprising spaced elongated members mounted on said door to receive the keeper therebetween, said elongated members having opposed latches extending inwardly in position adjacent said keeper aperture when the door is closed for interengaging said latches and said keeper, and means shifta'ble on said door relative to said elongated members for resiliently separating said members for disengagement of said latches from the keeper.

8. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening therein, a door swingable to close the opening and an apertured keeper extending into said opening, said latch mechanism comprising spaced elongated members mounted adjacent the margin of said door and extending longitudinally of said margin, said elongated members having opposed latches extending inwardly in position adjacent said keeper aperture when the door is closed for interengaging said latches and said keeper, and means shiftable longitudinally of said margin of the door and relative to said elongated members for resiliently separating said members for disengagement of said latches from the keeper.

9. In a latching mechanism for a locker having an opening therein, a door swingable to close the opening and having a marginal recess formed adjacent'a vertical side edge thereof and an apertured keeper extending into said opening, said latch mechanism comprising a pair of elongated vmembers fixedly mounted within said recess and extending longitudinally of said side margin and being positioned to receive said apertured keeper therebetween, opposed, inwardly extending latch means on said elongated members and residing opposite said aperture when the door is in closed position, a bar associated with said marginal recess for vertical shifting movement relative to said door and said; elongated members, and

means on said bar engageable between said elontive to said elongated members, said control means being operable from'a door control handle and comprising means for resiliently separating said elongated members for retracting the latches from the keeper, said elongated members being fixed longitudinally on one side of said latches and having a portion longitudinally oppositely spaced for contact with said separating means.

JOHN B. OCONNOR. 

